1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is a pressure sensitive composite article which is suitable, for example, as an exterior roof covering for a motor vehicle.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Plastic film/backing laminates which are suitable, for example, as an exterior roof material for a motor vehicle are known. It has been commonplace for such laminates to be attached to the vehicle roof by means of a solvent based adhesive which is sprayed on the backing and/or vehicle roof or by means of a heat activatable adhesive (see U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,846,200 and 3,935,353 to R. G. Doerfling et al.). In applicant's copending U.S. Application Ser. No. 827,755, filed Aug. 25, 1977, now abandoned an improved plastic film/backing laminate is described wherein the backing has a substantially continuous and uniform layer of a pressure sensitive adhesive bonded to the side of the backing which is opposite the plastic film. In order to prevent contamination of the exposed surface of the pressure sensitive adhesive layer, a suitable release liner is preferably bonded to the exposed surface of the adhesive layer. It is taught in that copending application that the release liner is removed from the composite article prior to placing the plastic film/backing/adhesive laminate on the vehicle roof and bonding it thereto.
Often it is desired to combine several small pieces of conventional plastic film/backing laminate into larger unitary pieces. Such an operation allows the use of potential scrap, and other small pieces, and allows for a greater utilization of all the laminate that may be produced. It is conventional to stitch and heat bond such pieces together to form such larger pieces. The resulting product, after being sprayed with a contact type adhesive, can then be used to cover a wider portion of the vehicle roof with a unitary covering. In the case of the laminates shown in pending U.S. Application Ser. No. 827,755, the release liner may be of a non-sealable type so as to preclude heat bonding of separate pieces of the laminate to form a larger unitary article. The invention shown in that patent application shows no appreciation of this heat bonding operation and does not teach how a person of ordinary skill in the art might form a pressure sensitive composite article which could be joined together by stitching and heat bonding to a similar article without the labor intensive act of removal of the release liner in the desired bonding area or areas.